The Vets players of the year were announced at the Annual Dinner and Presentation night last Wednesday.

The photograph shows Peter Clark receiving his trophy as the men’s winner. The Lady winner was Mary Wright who could not attend to collect her trophy on the night. Well done to you both.

All the photographs of the presentation can be viewed by clicking the following link to launch Flikr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/100735050@N04/albums/72157698307940460

With 70 members and partners sitting down to dine on a 3-course meal last night, Parklands was filled to capacity. The Vets annual dinner and presentation night was well attended and well organised, and Lynn and the staff worked hard all day to prepare and serve a traditional Christmas fare. The trophy presentation was well attended with most of the winners collecting their trophies on the night. A generous amount of donations ensured a wide distribution of raffle prizes. Thanks to all who helped to make the occasion go so well.

Christmas Handicap No 1

Please note that all start times have been put back 15 minutes, first tee now 7:45

Yesterday our Lady Chairman (and Northumberland County Captain), Candy Brown, had the great pleasure of handing over a cheque for £600 to the Maggie’s Centre at the Freeman Hospital. The proceeds from donations from her Chairman’s day at Parklands were combined with the County Event for the Durnell Trophy held in June, which always go to the county captain’s chosen charity.
She picked Maggie’s Newcastle as her charity this year as it is such a warm and happy place that supports so many people. Maggie’s provides free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends “I have fond memories of my times there with my best friend, also called Maggie, who sadly is no longer with us.”

The Presentation Evening for the Northumbria Junior Golf League was held last Sunday night at Whitley Bay Golf Club. To cap off a great year for our junior team, we were proud to see one of our team players, Ben Jones, receive the Frank Dobson Award Junior for League Player of the Year 2018 – well done Ben – a superb achievement.

We are all aware that the changes to the rules of golf which will come into effect on the 1st January will make many of us have to unlearn the past and embrace some quite fundamental changes. The term Water Hazard disappears and is replaced with Penalty Area; we can remove objects from bunkers without having to distinguish between natural and man-made objects; we can take relief from bunkers if we can’t play out (for the cost of two strokes) and many more. Most of the rules are common sense and are designed to speed up the game. The one which will be the most difficult to manage will be – only 3 minutes to look for the ball (currently 5 mins). We all can relate to instances where the 5-minute rule has been broken, so to impose 3 minutes on yourself will take a lot of self-discipline.

I can thoroughly recommend the R&A app available for iPhone or Android.

If you have played the course in the last week, you will have noticed the fitting tribute made by our green staff on the 11th green …. well done guys, proud to be seen at Parklands.

After some 20 years sitting on golf club committees, I am used to members having a good moan about the committees.

Occasionally, however, I feel I have the right to have a good moan about our members.

Sunday mornings are reserved for our Men Members and this Sunday past was no exception. I tee off around 9.30 meaning around 15 three balls have teed off before me. My second shot went into the greenside bunker on the 1st. When I arrived the bunker was nicely raked apart from 2 sets of footprints left by 2 different members and I assume condoned by their playing partners as acceptable etiquette. There was no excuse; the rake was there, the bunker was in good condition, they couldn’t have been tired by the first hole … they just have no respect for the players following.

Please do not be shy. If your playing partners do not automatically rake the bunker – ask them to do it! If they refuse, rake it for them and report them to a committee member.

PS … I made my 4 following my bunker shot so this is not about sour grapes … it’s all about respect.

From Bryan Malone ……. “What a great effort today, Sunday 7th October, from our Parklands juniors playing in the semi-finals of England northeast region at Abbeydale golf club in Sheffield.  And didn’t they do me and themselves and Parklands proud ….. just getting beat by 3 shots to Huddersfield and 1 shot off second place behind Ramside, a great effort all-round. Young Harrison Sewell had a great knock getting the joint best nett with a 68 well-done lads. I’m very proud of you lads!”